Chicago — Prosecutors say a Chicago man on bail for allegedly operating a criminal financial crimes enterprise that involved reselling bottles of liquor he stole from Target stores returned to the company’s West Loop location this week and stole liquor again. Twice.
We introduced you to Reginald Allen, 39, in a story about organized shoplifting cases in October.
During four raids on Target stores between July and September, he allegedly stole $3,054 worth of merchandise, mostly liquor. Prosecutors said he told police that he was trying to pay for his cousin’s funeral and that he sold stolen bottles of Tito’s vodka for about $10 each. Allen had another felony retail theft case pending at the time of that arrest.
Now, prosecutors say he returned to Target’s West Loop location at 1101 West Jackson twice this week. On Tuesday, he went to the liquor department, put several bottles of “expensive liquor” into a bag with a selection of bed sheets, and walked out of the emergency exit, Assistant State’s Attorney Eugene Goroshko said.
On Thursday, he allegedly returned to the same store and did the exact same thing. This time, a Chicago police surveillance camera operator saw Allen walk out of the store and get into the passenger seat of a Jeep Cherokee. According to Goroshko, cops pulled the Jeep over, identified Allen as the Target thief, and recovered stolen merchandise from the SUV.
Allen took a total of $1,227 in merchandise from the store this week, according to Goroshko.
During a bond hearing on Friday, Judge Mary Marubio held Allen without bail for violating his bail bond in the earlier cases. On the new charges, two counts of felony retail theft, Marubio set bail at $10,000 with electronic monitoring. That means he must post $1,000 to go home on an ankle monitor if another judge modifies the no-bail hold.
Goroshko said Allen has eight felony convictions, including retail theft in 2019, robbery in 2015, theft in 2015, and five narcotics cases between 2003 and 2011.
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